Electricity monitoring through utility providers enables more efficient usage. As customers receive monthly or annual electricity usage rates, trends may be determined, costs anticipated, and assets allocated. If the utility provider gives inaccurate or imprecise information, the trends, costs, and allocated assets are proportionally impacted. Energy-efficiency may also be detrimentally impacted as consumers inaccurately or imprecisely determine how or where energy usage may be curbed and power saved.
Switches, electrical outlets, circuit breakers, and similar electrical connections contain an electrical conductor through which an electrical current flows. An interruption in the current flowing to an appliance, a light switch, or other electrical load may have several effects depending on how, where, when, and why it occurs. For example, if the interruption is due to an overloading current flow, the interruption may protect wires, electrical feeds, and the appliance from short circuiting or other damaging effects. If the interruption occurs intentionally when appliances or lights are not in use, energy usage may be minimized and power saved. However, some buildings have multiple circuits, multiple rooms, and various current loads in unusual places. In these circumstances, although an intentional interrupt may be desired in order to save power when the circuits, rooms, or loads are no longer in use, the interrupt may never occur because the current flow may never be detected. By way of another example, if long lengths of conduits or electrical feeds are used and the interrupt occurs unexpectedly and in an unknown length of conduit or feed, removing the interrupt and restoring current flow may be time-consuming and expensive, despite the use of conventional power monitoring systems. Further, if unexpected or unintentional interrupts occur in hospitals or other buildings requiring a continuous power supply, then the costs and effects associated with finding and repairing the interrupt become more severe.
Although some electricity meters may be classified as ‘smart meters’ they may utilize only a single sensor, such as an induction coil sensor. Further, these ‘smart meters’ are often limited to monitoring at the electrical main, and are usually analog meters.
Data mining, data pattern extraction, machine learning, and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) summarize and present physical, analog interactions in a digital medium. The digital medium is often in communication with a user interface to enable continuous, short-term, or long-term access to the data. The digital medium further enables networked access and control of the data.
Machine learning, automation, and autonomous systems ensure accuracy, while reducing operator workload. However, although a system may be fully automated, if a user is required to be physically present to operate the system or receive output therefrom, its value greatly diminishes.